Loved Only When Lost
by AmeliaKaitin
Summary: FemFic! Merlin is destined to rule Camelot as Arthur's Queen, but this news shocks her into leaving Camelot in an attempt to reject her destiny. This decision ends up causing their love to flower, but in the most dangerous of circumstances. Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin :'(
1. Chapter 1

Merlin was used to the constant abuse from Arthur. After calling him an ass the first day they met, a growing dislike for each other was becoming prominent. It was not helped by the fact that Merlin was assigned to be Arthur's manservant, more of a punishment than a reward in her mind. It was also a problem because she was a girl with magic so being the crown prince of Camelot's manservant created a load of secrets. Merlin despised secrets; they led to a lack of trust, betrayal, and in the end, when secrets are revealed, no one can escape without getting hurt. Merlin was planning on leaving Camelot very soon; this job simply wasn't worth the trouble. She would return to her mother in Ealdor and convince her that Will would never put her in harms way; he would never reveal her secret. Maybe if she was incredibly lucky, Merlin could start a family of her own.

The night before Merlin planned on leaving, she woke with a start. She heard a voice, calling out to her.

"_Merlin…_

…

_Merlin, come find me"_

"Where are you?" Merlin asked aloud.

"_Follow my voice, and you will know where I reside"_

Merlin listened to the voice in her head, now slightly concerned that she was going crazy. She followed the voice to the best of her ability, considering it was in her head, and it led her to a door. She knew it was one of the areas of the castle that was restricted, but she had to find out who was calling her. The door led her to a long spiral staircase. As she descended, she realized she was entering a huge cavern, its only light source being a torch that had long gone out. Merlin took the torch and muttered the words "Forbærnan," lighting the torch.

"Merlin, at last, you have come."

Merlin almost dropped the newly lit torch when a dragon made itself visible in the cavern, appearing out of the shadows. The dragon then told Merlin what she desperately didn't want to hear. He told her of her destiny, and why she couldn't leave Camelot. Then, when Merlin thought she had heard the worst of it, the dragon finished it off with a statement that could never be unheard:

"In the end, it is prophesized that you will be the queen of Camelot"

Merlin's jaw dropped, and she was then able to sputter out words that sounded something like, "but... how?…clot pole…me?... queen?… marry Arthur… but… clot pole…" With that, Merlin had had enough. She ran upstairs, and started packing. "Screw destiny" she thought, "no way am I going to marry that pain in the arse."

By the time Merlin was ready to leave, it was the early morning and most of the servants were already up, starting to wake those they served. With a silent prayer that she wouldn't see anyone on the way out, she closed the door to her room, its only contents being the bed, chest, and a note for Gaius, explaining why she left.

Merlin was almost in the clear, but whether it be the gods or fate messing with her, as Merlin turned the corner, she walked straight into Arthur.

"Merlin!" The prince said enraged, "You were supposed to wake me up AN HOUR AGO!"

The hunting trip. Of course Merlin forgot that the royal prat had to be up early so he could spend today traveling to a more remote area to hunt."

"Merlin, why are you packed, but I'm not? That's not how this works. You need to pack for me too."

With that, Merlin snapped, she could never feel anything for Arthur, let alone be his queen.

"You are a clot pole that doesn't even realize that everyone around you thinks it! You are the most self absorbed, egotistic, condescending, pompous, conceded person I have ever met! Destiny got it wrong, find another girl!"

With that, Merlin stormed off, leaving Arthur speechless and wondering: A) What destiny got wrong, B) Why Merlin called himself a girl, C) What caused this incredible outburst, and D) Where the hell Merlin was going.

_Months Later:_

They were going to leave Ealdor with nothing. By the time the Harvest was over and the bandits had taken what they wanted, there wouldn't be enough to feed the village or plant more the next season. Merlin had gone to the king of Essetir for help but to no avail. Ealdor was nothing but an outlying village with little worth to their king. The village's only hope was to receive help from Camelot. Hunith had offered to go in Merlin's place to Camelot to receive an audience with the King, but Merlin refused. She knew that travel was hard on her mother, and with the trying times, Merlin worried her mother couldn't take the extra strain. It was Merlin who went, praying that in a nice dress and with her hair now down to her shoulders, no one would recognize her.

As if she was lucky enough for that to happen. Merlin wasn't even 10 meters into the inner city before she found herself, once again, walking straight into Arthur.

"Arthur! I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention and-"

The start of Merlin's rambling was instantly cut off by Arthur's inability to filter between his mind and his mouth.

"You're a girl!" Then Arthur proceeded to pull her into an alleyway and shout whisper at Merlin to avoid attention. " YOU SAW ME NAKED, AND YOU'RE A GIRL! YOU WERE MY MANSERVANT, AND YOU'RE A GIRL! YOU LEFT WITH A CRYPTIC MESSAGE, AND DIDN'T FEEL THE NEED TO MENTION THAT YOU'RE A GIRL!"

"I think it has been well established that I'm a girl, Arthur."

"That's Prince Arthur or Sire to you, I hardly know you enough to "

"I've given you bathes Arthur, er, Sire if you must, I think we are past the formalities but have it your way. Now since I have conveniently received an audience with the _highly esteemed _prince, Ealdor needs Camelot's help."

* * *

**Should I continue with this?**


	2. Chapter 2

**It shall continue! Everyone who read and reviewed really seemed to like it, so I'm going to try and continue but before it does, I need some input. Do you guys want this to also be a magic reveal fic? I am a bit hesitant, seeing as how I am writing another reveal fic simultaneously but I will do it if that is what you guys want. Please PM or write a review with your response!**

**I felt bad putting up a chapter with just a note from me, so I give you about 400 more words, I couldn't continue past that without your guys' input.**

**-Amelia**

"Why should we risk a war to help Ealdor? If your king doesn't want to help, he must believe that your village will be able to prevail," said Uther

Merlin had been brought by Arthur to request an audience with the king; she wasn't sure if it was because he actually thought she deserved to request help or because he wanted her to feel humiliated in front of all her friends in Camelot. At least Uther was oblivious to who she was, along with most of the knights.

"That is the problem, sire, our king cares not for our village. Even though it has served as a sanctuary to many from neighbouring lands, our king sees no reason to protect it, seeing as how it serves no use to the people of our land."

"I'm sorry, but Camelot cannot help you, dear girl."

With that, Merlin left. She had no doubt that Ealdor would be destroyed unless she did anything.

"So much for keeping my magic a secret." Merlin thought to herself. The only way out of this mess without the help of knights would be to use magic. Merlin gathered herself after a brief lapse in her composure when she made this realization, and started to make her way to the castles entrance.

"Merlin, wait!"

Merlin slowly turned and was shocked to find that it was Gwen who had stopped her from leaving.

"Hello Gwen…" Merlin didn't know what else to say; it was all so awkward now that they knew one of her secrets.

"Hi Merlin, well, I know that you obviously kept things from us, but I know you were well intentioned. You were my best friend in the time that you were here and, well, I want to come with you. As you well know, people don't believe that as a woman I can fight, but I know how to protect myself and wish to help you protect your village."

"Thank you so much Gwen, but doesn't Morgana need you?"

"She's hardly helpless, she can manage on her own for a few weeks. I'm not letting you turn me away Merlin."

With that, the two women headed out, determined to help Ealdor.

Merlin accepted Gwen's help, but was unsure how to save Ealdor when using magic had been the previous plan. On the way towards Camelot's border, Merlin racked her brain for any way to save her village without Gwen finding out about her magic.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to everyone who responded! I reward you all with a chapter in which, not only does a shit ton happen, but I get to the more original parts of the fic, not the parts based off of other episodes. I'm also going to rate this M. It might change back, but my mind is turning dark and twisty, so I want to make sure no one is offended, I'm sure you can get a sense of what may happen in future chapters towards the end. This is mostly because the type of violence and language, but if I stick with the M rating, maybe some lemons ;)**

**-Amelia**

* * *

"What do you mean Gwen's gone?"

Morgana shot Arthur a, "you're an idiot " look and explained, yet again, how she had found a letter from Gwen telling her that she was going with Merlin to Ealdor.

"Arthur, we must go after her!"

"I know, but my father won't allow it. I myself can make up some lie about a hunting trip, just you and me, but the two of us can't help Ealdor."

"We don't need to help that village Arthur, we just need to get Gwen back."

"Very well," Arthur replied, "I'll tell my father I have an extended hunting trip planned, and that you want to join me. We shall leave tomorrow at dawn."

Arthur and Morgana went there separate ways, each preparing for their journey. George, Merlin's replacement, an obnoxious boot licker of a man, kept questioning Arthur about what he could do to aid his journey and wondering aloud if he should be accompanying Arthur. After a half hour of Georges annoying questions, Arthur dismissed him and said to wake him two hours before dawn.

The next day, Arthur and Morgana met at the stables, tacked their horses, and rode from the city as the sun rose.

* * *

At the same time, Merlin and Gwen were only half a day from Ealdor. They had ridden through the nights, only resting in the saddle, trusting the other to lead their horse to the right path.

"Stop, we must rest." Merlin called to Gwen

Both women were exhausted, hungry, and in desperate need of getting out of the saddle. With a sigh of relief, Gwen slowly dismounted and went to grab the food from pack.

"Can we talk...?" Gwen asked, clearly unsure on the standard procedure for when your best friend turns out to be a different gender than runs away, only to come back when forced to out of desperation.

Merlin mentally groaned. She hated talking about her self; it always made her feel like scum when people found out her half-truths and her lack of courage, which her actions clearly showed.

"Why did you hide all this," Gwen gestured to Merlin's now obvious curves, "from everyone?"

"To protect myself." True

"But why not tell us after you were no longer traversing through the wilds of Camelot? I understand while you were traveling, with bandits around and all, but once you found a home in Camelot, you could've dropped the mask."

"By the time I knew that I could stay in Camelot, I had been assigned to be Arthur's manservant. I couldn't tell him without giving that job up and whether I told him and was fired or just resigned, I would have had to leave Camelot, so I chose the option that involved less shame. Unfortunately, Arthur had to find out because Ealdor is in trouble, so I might as well have just told him," shockingly, all true statements.

When Gwen seemed satisfied to spend the rest of their break from riding eating in silence, Merlin thanked the gods that nothing had come up that would require her to lie or bend the truth too much.

After almost an hour of resting, the two women remounted their horses, and continued with their journey toward Ealdor.

After another 4 hours of hard day of travel, they finally reached their destination, only to be met by heart broken faces of villagers who knew that their only hope of survival, the knights of Camelot, had not come.

The next few days in Ealdor were spent preparing in anyway they could, hiding some food in the forest, while preparing for the coming winters when food wouldn't be available for much of the time. Some of the younger men in the village wanted to fight, but Merlin knew that death would come to any who tried. She was trying to formulate a plan as to how to save her home, but with Gwen here, using magic was already very risky, and who knew how the villagers would react found out how powerful she was.

The sound of horses was heard through the thin walls of Merlin horse, causing Merlin to freeze when she knew the bandits had finally come. She burst out of her house, her intent to keep as many villagers as possible out of harms way.

Her jaw was left slightly agape though when, as she burst out of her house, she saw it was Arthur sitting astride the beast. Bringing her jaw down another centimeter was that Morgana, was sitting on her own horse 10 paces behind the prince.

* * *

"What do you mean you are making me go back with you?" Gwen asked incredulously.

"Gwen this isn't your fight and I will not have my closest friend and servant be killed by bandits for the sake of one girl whose only claim to knowing you is through a time that is basted in lies." Morgana said.

This argument had been going back and forth for the better part of an hour, and Arthur soon realized that his input was not welcome so he decided to wait outside. Merlin brought him a cup of tea and with him while the servant and master tried to work things out. They stood in silence; Merlin hardly ever looking at Arthur, while Arthur's eyes hungrily took in the new, obviously female, physique of Merlin.

He couldn't seem to tear his eyes away and while he knew it was rude, it was all just so shocking. The curves that had been so carefully hidden were now a prominent part of her shape and her hair, which had always been messy and flat, had grown out into a wavy black blanket that coated her upper back. With the new feminine shape, the previously odd looking face was turned into a beautiful, almost elven looking complection with stunning blue eyes.

Merlin was beautiful.

She was still a stranger to him, yet as he stared, he felt as if having to go back to Camelot without this exquisite woman in front of him would leave him heart broken.

Arthur had never felt this way about anyone, let alone a person who he only knew as a deceiver.

His gaze was making her uncomfortable. It was more intense than any other look he had ever given her, even when he was seeping with rage. Merlin wasn't sure if she should turn and face him or just continue submissively looking at the ground. Soon, both of those choices disintegrated as the melody of horse hooves beating the ground became audible from their place outside the hut.

"They're here" Merlin gasped

Arthur forced himself to move, running into the house to alert Morgana and Gwen.

Merlin followed them in and shouted, "Go! Hide! This isn't your fight!"

Arthur sent Merlin a look of gratitude for trying her best to keep them safe. When her words didn't seem to do it, Merlin ran to a hatch in the floor and pulled it open.

"I can't guarantee that they won't check here, considering we do have some food stored down here, but it is safer than being out in the open."

Without waiting for an answer, Arthur forcefully pushed Gwen and Morgana into the small space bellow the house, and made it look as if he was following them down.

When Merlin saw that they would hide, she was content and went outside to face the bandits.

After Merlin had left her home, Arthur snuck towards the window that looked to the main road. He had assured the two other women in the bunker that he would stay hidden; he just needed to see if Merlin would be okay. Morgana was highly skeptical of Arthur's true motives, but kept her opinions to herself, knowing that she couldn't dissuade Arthur from doing anything.

The bandits made their demands, and Merlin made one last attempt to reason with them.

"Is there anything I can offer you, or say to stop you from leaving my village with nothing? Your actions will kill us, and if you are hell bent on making sure you follow through, I will do everything in my power to stop you, so I am giving you one last warning and asking one last time, is there anything that would make you leave Ealdor in peace?"

The head bandit let out a slow chuckle and with a voice filled with bile replied, "you young girl, simply do not have the authority to speak to me, let alone threaten me; no woman does, but I will humour you because you seem to have a spirit: only being given a life would convince me to leave in peace."

The idea disgusted all who heard his words.

Merlin now knew there was no other solution, and with Arthur, Gwen, and Morgana all tucked away, using magic would only hurt her in the eyes of the village. In the moment before she cast a spell that would ward off the bandits for good, Merlin saw Arthurs sandy haired head, peaking out from her window. She thought over what the bandit had said, and knew that unless he went peacefully, Arthur would be found. That or she exposed her magic to him, and that wasn't something she couldn't do without finding her head on the chopping block.

"What do you mean when you say only being given a life would get you to leave peacefully?" Merlin inquired

"I want a slave, or more particularly, a wife." He said, chuckling at his own sick joke with a laugh that would curdle milk, "a beauty such as you would do perfectly, young girl."

Merlin had previously had her suspicions of what he wanted, but to hear it said aloud made her sick. Arthur had doomed her to go with this wretched man without even knowing it, and she hated him for it.

Hunith looked pleadingly at her daughter, already knowing her decision. She knew Merlin would do anything to protect her family, or friends. She had seen Arthur hiding as well, and cursed to herself. Merlin never cared what the villagers thought of her, but after only a few short weeks with Arthur, Hunith could tell Merlin valued his opinion. For all of her complaining and criticisms of the prince, Hunith sense that Merlin cared, more deeply that she dared to admit.

"I will go." Merlin said, her voice filled with bitterness and anger

"A wise decision, though we will have to beat that tone out of your mind girl." The head bandit sneered, knowing he had received a prize.

Arthur was stunned. He sat and on the floor of Merlin's house, and shook. No one deserved the fate of being forced into a life with that man, let alone Merlin. If he could be sure about anything, he could be sure that she was a well intentioned, loyal, beautiful woman, and one that he was slowly realizing he didn't want to live without. He had to save her from the fate she just signed up for.

* * *

… **So that's the chapter… Thoughts? Review. Please. I hope I didn't just lose everyone… I'll now spend the rest of the day anxiously awaiting some sort of response: good or bad.**

**-Amelia **

**December 12, 2012**


	4. Chapter 4

**Two Chapters in one week :O I could hardly believe it either. There will either be another chapter within a few more days OR I'll be updating my other fic. Please review and the chapters will come faster :) **

**-Amelia**

* * *

The rest of the bandits seemed almost morose that they didn't get to plunder the village, taking anything they wanted. Once they realized that the sole prize would be a woman to travel with, each set of eyes started to hungrily take in Merlin's shape. One or two even let out a slow whistle. Merlin thought she was going to be sick. The man she was giving herself up to rode up to her, reached down, and grabbed her by the waist, hoisting her up onto the horse with him. He had somehow managed to place her in back, forcing her to wrap her arms around his sweat drenched torso to avoid falling. His stench alone was enough to repel her, but his winning personality really made her dread what was to come. She just had to get far enough away that it wouldn't be worth his time or money to return to Ealdor. Then, she would simply have to create some situation (using magic of course) that would allow her to get away without her new "husband" pursuing or taking out any of his anger on Ealdor: obviously easier said than done. The head bandit, Kanen she believed he was called, seemed to pay no interest to her once he seemed confident that she wasn't getting off the horse. He spoke a few simple words to the rest of the village. As Merlin listened, her hope of escaping without a massacre of the bandits diminished ten fold.

"As you all can very well see," Kanen began, "This beautiful specimen has agreed to marry me for the sake of saving your pitiful village." All that was running through Merlin's head at that point was that he had called her a specimen. "As long as she is true to her word and proves, satisfactory, your village will remain untouched, by my people at least. However, if she in anyway is disloyal to me, I will kill her and then come back here, and continue to take your crops." With his final sentence, he seemed to take pleasure in the thought; as if causing her pain was the greatest reward he could ever receive. Merlin's nausea increased.

Merlin looked ill. She appeared beaten and lacked that usual spark in her eyes. As the head bandit spoke, Arthur watched as Merlin's gaze slowly lowered from the towns people to simply looking at the ground. Arthur knew it was out of fear: fear of what would become of her, fear of what would happen if she failed to meet Kanen's wishes, fear that no matter what, he would still come back to Ealdor. Arthur simply prayed that Kanen would travel through Camelot next, where Arthur had just a bit more power. As the hoard of bandits turned to leave, Arthur heard Hunith release a deep sob and his heart wanted to do the exact same. He slowly went over to retell what had happened to Gwen and Morgana, already feeling the disappointment from Gwen's gaze that was sure to fall on him.

As Kanen turned the horse around, Merlin took one last look at her home, hoping to return soon. As she looked back, she saw Arthur still in her window, staring out at her, mouthing words that made her heart sing but her mind buzz with worry. "I'll find you."

Kanen rode hard and fast, bearing no thoughts towards her comfort or endurance. By the time he called halt, Merlin was unsure if she would ever be able to walk normally ever again.

"What's your name girl" Kanen hissed

"I have been called many things" Merlin stubbornly replied. She knew that it may cause her pain, but her small desire to stop Kanen from controlling her completely won the upper hand.

"I will let that slide just once, but know this _girl,"_ he sneered, "one more comment like that and I'll have to bruise up your pretty little face. So I ask again, what is you name?"

"Merlin" the young woman squeaked

"Very good, now Merlin, go wait in that tent pitched by the gnarled trees and stay there until I come for you."

Great, not only was she most likely going to be physically abused during her time with Kanen, he seemed to be determined to cause her mental pain as well. Waiting. Merlin wasn't exactly impatient, but waiting for things she had no control over to happen, might be worse that the threatened beatings.

"Morgana, I have to go after her!"

"Arthur, please, be reasonable!"

"I know that she lied to us when she was in Camelot, but can you blame her? If we left now, I would have a mountain of guilt that would never leave me. I would always be in its shadow. I told Merlin that I would find her and I intend to do so. That man was just terrible and Merlin looked completely crushed at the idea of going with him, but she did it anyway. She was a leader to her village just as I want to be leader of Camelot. I will not stand to see her taken away and having horrendous things done to her while I return home, happy that my life was not directly affected." With that, Arthur turned to face Hunith. He promised her that he would bring her daughter back home, no matter what.

"Arthur, wait," Morgana said to stop his mad rush for supplies to chase after Merlin with, "Is this really just because of your need to uphold your promises, or is this because you feel something...more for Merlin."

Arthur was a bit taken aback by Morgana's abruptness, but his surprise could not hide his acceptance of this statement.

"I see" Morgana said, pausing slightly as the news brought a new set of creases to her face, "do what your heart tells you, but do not step to wide from the trail of reality and remember what the requirements of being a prince are."

"I will Morgana."

With a hug to Hunith, Morgana, and Gwen, Arthur rushed off in the direction the bandits had taken.

"I see you have done little to make your self at home. Do you wish to offend me or my crew? Not becoming part of our way of life while at the same time being my spouse suggests insubordination and arrogance in your part."

"I wish to offer no such view to any of your men, I was simply unsure of what to do, not knowing if this was to be my permanent place of residence or not."

"'Ay" Kanen said gruffly, "Might as well start to make yourself comfortable now. We'll be staying here for another week. I'll send one of the others' wives to get you acquainted with the camp. Now give your new husband a kiss."

There was nothing in his voice to suggest that it was anything less than a command. Merlin slowly approached this vile man, but as she came within his reach, he became impatient and grabbed her cheeks, painfully pulling her lips to his and assaulting her mouth with his tongue. The swiftness of it shocked Merlin and she reacted without realizing it, sinking her teeth into the tip of Kanen's tongue as it continually rooted around in her mouth. Kanen jumped back in surprise than reacted in turn by bringing the back of his hand to a collision with Merlin's cheek.

"YOU WILL LEARN TO OBEY AND RESPECT ME AS YOUR MASTER YOU LITTLE BITCH!"

Merlin gasped, all illusion that he would give her a molecule of respect quickly disintegrated along with his calm demeanor. He called himself her master. She was exactly as he had wanted her, a slave with whom he would legally be able to force himself upon. No one would object to the cruelty that he was sure to dish out to her when she was legally his property. No matter that their "marriage" was simply in word, most were. Only those with enough standing could afford an actual service, so their agreement was as legitimate as any other commoners' marriage. Merlin's cheek was now a bright red, but luckily none of Kanen's rings had come into contact with her face.

Kanen then pulled her back in for a kiss that was less intrusive, but still completely unbearable. Merlin held her tongue as Kanen went to go find one of the other women in the camp and slumped back into a chair that was up against the wall of the tent.

Merlin let out a sigh, her legs shaking from her encounter with Kanen. He was just so cruel; he enjoyed her pain. There wasn't much she could do at this point besides wait. At their current encampment, she was to close to Ealdor to take the risk of escaping, but she wasn't sure how much of Kanen's abuse she could take. It was a constant never ending


	5. Chapter 5

**Long time no see, eh? Sorry about the gap in my updates. I was trying really hard to keep up with my whole "updating each story at least once a week" thing, then it all fell to shit when I started to be surrounded by family for the holidays. All the time I normally sit indoors and write, slowly becoming sun intolerant, was instead used to "bond" with family. Also, it doesn't help that I just purchased assassins creed III and my xbox has been calling my name during my few moments of down time… Then, Christmas day, I chose to finish Merlin. I've seen the end and WOW I'm sad. But now, back to normal updating (hopefully) and I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**Also, other fanfiction (Arthur's Inner Strife) will probably be discontinued.**

**And, I jump focus from one character to the next A LOT in this chapter. If it bugs anyone, leave a review saying so and I'll change it.**

**-Amelia**

**REMEMBER THIS IS RATED M NOW!**

** Sorry my mind got dark and twisty**

* * *

Phoebe walked cautiously into Kanen's tent after being told to make his wife acquainted to life in the camp. Every wife in the group of bandits knew to be careful around him, they were even told by their husbands to never let themselves be alone with just Kanen. Now, she could feel nothing but pity for the poor girl who had been forced into his grasp. She would find no peace with him; there would never be any loving embrace to meet her, only a boot to kick her because she's down. She was surprised to find that the girl was not only beautiful, but carried an air of strength around her. It gave her hope that someone just might be able to stand up to Kanen and put him in his place.

As Phoebe cam closer, she noticed the girl shaking, hand to her cheek, obviously holding back tears. Phoebe couldn't stand this, she was still so young, this girl didn't deserve this pain.

"Ma'am, my name is Phoebe, I was sent here to help you to adjust."

The girl whipped around, and answered carefully and with a voice full of loss.

"I will never be able to really adjust here, but I will not prevent you from doing what has been required of you. Please, don't call me 'ma'am', Merlin will do."

"I'm sorry Ma'am, but I cannot do that. You are Kanen's wife, and he is our leader. He requires us to show respect of title to those above us, and your marriage to him places you above all of us in the eyes of our groups."

Phoebe then continued to prepare the tent for the usage of two beings. She knew she couldn't displace any of Kanen's belongings without reprimand, but she could make it more comfortable for the poor child. She worked for a good hour, bringing in a chest and dresses for Merlin, but in the end, she knew her efforts to make Merlin feel more comfortable would do to little to matter.

Phoebe left the tent to grab more materials that most women would have received in their dowry, and on her way back stopped dead. She had just seen an enraged Kanen walk swiftly into his tent, where she knew, all his rage would be taken out on Merlin. Phoebe slowly put down her current load, and went to go get the medical materials. She knew that poor girl would need it.

* * *

"YOU BITCH! THERE'S SOMEONE FOLLOWING US FROM EALDOR! You're going to approach them, tell them to leave, and say that if they don't, that I'll kill and everyone else in your god forsaken village" Kanen told Merlin, getting dangerously close to her by the end of his rampage.

"I-I will do my b-best sir" Merlin managed to squeeze out, when every molecule of her was screaming to fight him off; to get him away from her. It was only because of her need to put more space between Kanen and Ealdor that she was able to stop her magic from reacting.

"I know you will sweetie," Kanen crooned in the most sickening of manners "but I need you to convince me first of just how loyal you are to me. As of yet, you haven't really shown true willingness, so I need you to give me proof."

With that, Kanen grabbed her jaw, forcing Merlin's mouth open with his tongue. With his other hand, he slowly started to grope at her chest. He was not gentle or careful with either of these motions, leaving her face sore, and her breasts aching as he continually roughly mash them with his hand.

Merlin then felt Kanen's hardness press against her navel. He was aroused, and she knew it wouldn't be long before he took more of her. Merlin couldn't do this. She wasn't ready and never would be with Kanen; his very touch repulsed her. She tried wiggle free of his grip, but it simply encouraged him to thrust his hips forward, pushing his member closer to her. Realizing she could only stop this with magic, she sent a silent prayer that he wouldn't realize what happened when he woke and cast a silent enchantment, draining him of all his energy, leaving him to slowly cant over, having fallen asleep on top of her, his hand still in her shirt.

With a sigh of relief, Merlin lifted the sleeping man off her and half dragged; half carried him onto the small cot in the room. All thoughts of the person Kanen had said to be following them had been wiped from Merlin's mind after… that.

* * *

Arthur knew he had been spotted. What he couldn't figure out is why no one had come after him yet. While he had done his best to cover his trail after being seen by one of the bandits, his previous campsite wasn't concealed to anyone looking for it. On top of that, he had stayed in close vicinity of the area he had just vacated, so where were to men with swords chasing him away?

* * *

Kanen woke with a headache that not even alcohol was capable of inducing and a sense of unsatisfied need. What had happened to him? The last he remembered was starting to teach that bitch how to treat him. He remembered his extreme arousal when he felt her struggle. He remembered feeling satisfied by the look of fear in her eyes. She should fear him, he thought to himself. Kanen slowly rose and looked around his tent. There was no sign of the girl and he had a job that he needed her to do. There was still that pesky man that his men thought had followed from Ealdor. As easy as it would be to just kill him, he couldn't afford to lose any of his hold over his newest conquest. She was still extremely defiant, and if it turned out this man was of value to her, he was more useful alive then dead in his efforts to tame the girl. She was pretty, even if she was too strong willed and smart; he knew her less favorable aspects could be beaten out.

"GIRL," Kanen bellowed, having forgotten her name already, he'd have to ask Victor's woman for it.

She hurried in; a hand shape bruise was now visible on her jaw. She stood in the doorway with her head bowed for a few moments before tentatively asking if he needed anything.

"I NEED YOU TO MAKE YOUR BLOODY VILLAGE MATE GO AWAY" Kanen yelled, then calming slightly added, "lord knows that a man thick enough to follow bandits all on his own, may only leave when a woman he obviously cares for tells him to leave. I saved you from a miserable life, my wife," Kanen chuckled at his own rhym, "tell him to that your happier here with me, tell him you'd never leave, tell him what ever you need to make him leave."

Kanen wasn't as stupid as he looked. He knew that none of his men understood why he was having his wife go out to persuade the man to leave, but he had a plan. Having the bitch tell a clearly devoted friend to let her go, would finally drill it into her head that she had to let go of them. He couldn't have a wife he had no loyalty for him, and while he was still confused about what happened the night before, he had a feeling she had something to do with it. He need her to obey his every command, and to have that, he would have to break her spirit. Hopefully this would be part one in doing so.

A cruel, perverted smile crossed the bandit's lips when he thought about part two.

* * *

**Please review. I know that there are tons of you reading, so let me know your thoughts! It really helps to motivate me, and takes away some of my doubt that everyone reading is just like "eh."**

**Oh, and some criticism is welcome. DO NOT MAKE ME REGRET ALLOWING YOU TO SAY WHAT I DO WRONG! IF IT AINT CONSTRUCTIVE, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! SAYING I AM A TERRIBLE WRITER=BAD COMMENT, SAYING THAT I NEED TO WORK ON CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT OR GRAMMAR A LITTLE BIT= MUCH MORE HELPFUL FOR ME.**


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